"We were married for three whole years! How could she possibly have nothing to do with me?" Ace sounded determined, making it seem like his absurd statement was reasonable.
Joanna stood behind him with mixed feelings stirring up in her chest.
She had never expected Ace to defend her in front of this many people, nor had she expected him to say all those things.
'Isn't he supposed to be the coldest and harshest person regarding our past marriage? Shouldn't he be expressing his disdain more than anything? What is he doing acting as if he cared?'
Christopher spoke up too. "Ace is right. We have no proof pointing to Miss Pierce pushing Cecilia off the cliff, so please do not make any hasty assumptions or use violence against her."
"Instead, we should split up into groups and look around the area… find Cecilia as soon as we can!"
Everyone found his words quite understandable, and they started calling out to Cecilia, covering more ground as they tried to look for her.
Ace also joined the search party, with Joanna sheepishly following behind the man.
His heroic actions a while ago touched her, and she wanted to take this opportunity to thank him properly. However, it seemed that he was in a state of panic as well, rushing around as he scanned his surroundings anxiously.
'I knew it. Cecelia does have a very special place in his heart. Even though he didn't try to elope with her, he clearly hasn't moved on from her yet.'
"Uhm, Moran…" Joanna increased her pace and caught up to the man.
Ace didn't care about anything else at the time, as he only wished to find Cecilia as quickly as possible. Thus, he didn't quite have much patience to spare Joanna.
"What is it?"
His dismissive attitude made Joanna feel extremely ashamed. She mumbled softly, "I… just… wanted to thank you for standing up for me, even when the situation was so pressuring."
"No need to thank me." Ace's eyes continued scanning the ocean surface, not sparing her a single glance. "But if I found out that you were really the one who tried to kill her, I'll be sure to take matters into my own hands!"
Joanna's heart dropped to the bottom of the sea, a frown forming on her face.
'Hah, so I was overthinking things. I mistook his small favor as residual affection.'
'Wake up, Joanna. Ace Moran has never felt anything toward you. If he did, he wouldn't have brought his mistress in and forced you into getting a divorce.'
Just then, Ace behaved like a jetski, rushing towards the right side and swimming into deeper regions with all his might.
"Ah! There! There! I think I see her!" Someone shouted.
Joanna turned to look in that direction as well and found herself looking at a blurry figure floating on the water.
It was Cecilia, the one who everyone was desperately looking for.
Cecilia's body was being carried further away with the waves and was currently located in the deadly deep sea zone.
Ace, on the other hand, was still swimming in that direction, actively putting himself in that type of dangerous situation as well.
Everyone was so nervous that they held their breaths, as they knew that a large wave could very well take both of their lives at once…
"Come back here!" Joanna was unable to contain herself any longer, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Come back, Ace Moran! Do you have a death wish or something?!"
No matter how much she screamed and called, Ace soldiered on, seeming as if he had no intention of turning back.
"Fine! If you're so tired of living, then just die! If you die, I won't even cry a single tear for you!" Joanna clenched her fists, her chest tightening while she grew more and more furious at his recklessness.
'God damn it, Ace Moran! Do you have no one else you care about in this world?! Are you really willing to give up on everything for your first love?! Is she really that important to you?!'
It was also then that she finally realized that the cold man she once knew was actually quite loving. However, his love wasn't hers to dream of, and she had no right to expect that from him.
Ace was quite a skilled swimmer and was able to reach Cecilia within minutes. Using one arm, he carried her back to shore.
Just as they were about to reach the safe zone, a large wave came crashing down, dragging the two backward.
Their figures were unable to be seen after that, which meant that their situations were extremely critical.
'No!' Joanna was shocked to her core, her mind turning blank as she switched into survival mode. All she could do was scream for help as much as she could.
Christopher and Ethan soon led a group of people over, yet didn't dare to take another step as they noticed the rough waves…
"Why are you just standing there? Save them! Moran and Cecelia are both being carried away by those waves!" Joanna sobbed profusely, never feeling such despair in her life.
If it weren't to protect her children, she would've just saved them herself.
The moment Ethan heard this, he didn't hesitate in the slightest, intending to jump straight in, only to be stopped by Christopher.
As the eldest in their group, Christopher has always been the rational friend. With a solemn expression, he said, "We can't send more people into these waves. Professionals on the rescue teams are already doing their jobs. So let's just calm down and wait by the shore quietly. We have to prioritize our own safety first."
"I can't just calm down!" Ethan roared. "Ace is in there! Cecy is in there! I can't just sit back and watch them die like a wuss!'
Joanna felt as if she was going to lose it with the two arguing fiercely right next to her. Unknowingly, she even started walking towards the direction where Ace disappeared…
Although she had mentioned not sparing him a tear if he died, she still wished for him to stay alive. She didn't want her children to lose their father, even before they were born.
"Miss Pierce! What are you doing? Come back!" Christopher instantly rushed over and grabbed Joanna by the arm once he noticed her trying to dive into the water.
"The waves are too big, and it's just too dangerous! The rescue team is already doing its best, okay? Let's get back to shore now!"
Joanna's face was pale as if she had lost her very soul. She stared back at Christopher with blank eyes.
"Let go of me… I didn't want to save them. I just wanted to take a look at his corpse… Never mind, I just wanted to check it out. It's not like l"m trying to save anymore.'"
"I know you're worried about Ace, but we need to calm down at times like this! Ace wouldn't want you to get hurt, you know? He cares a lot about you!"
"I'm not worrying about him. I just wanted to take a closer look! You don't know this, but I've always been a fan of gossip, so let go of me… Let me see!!'"
Joanna seemed too panicky to make up a coherent excuse. Moreover, the waves were crashing onto the lower half of her body, and it made her seem like she wouldn't be able to maintain proper balance if she stayed there any longer.
Having no other choice, Christopher narrowed his eyes as he carried Joanna bridal-style. As she tried to struggle out of his arms, he awkwardly said," I'm sorry, I have to protect you in Ace's stead."
"Let go of me! I know what I'm doing! I can take care of myself! I don't need anyone's protection!" Joanna screamed loudly.
Even then, she was worried she might affect her children's well-being, so she didn't dare to struggle with all her might either.
"Stop moving. I can promise you that Ace will be just fine! He's tough, and a good swimmer too! He even won the championship of a diving contest before! He'll be fine, alright?"
Under the glow of the reddish-orange sun, Christopher looked toward the woman in his arms with utmost certainty.
Noticing this, Joanna stopped struggling. Christopher's sincere expression gave her a sudden sense of reassurance.
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